The Knicks acquired the two-way wing defender they were searching for in Anunoby, one of the most coveted trade candidates dating back to last season, who’s also represented by CAA agents Andrew Morrison, Austin Brown, and Sam Rose, the son of Knicks president Leon Rose.

New York heavily pursued Anunoby ahead of the trade deadline a year ago in a package centered around Barrett and multiple draft picks to no avail before the inclusion of Quickley instead of draft picks appealed more to Toronto now with the clock ticking on Anunoby’s impending free agency. As previously noted on HoopsHype, some NBA executives believed Quickley was New York’s second-best trade asset behind Jalen Brunson.

“My initial reaction was the Knicks overpaid because of the hypothetical value you could maybe get for Quickley on paper in a separate deal,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype. “But the Knicks are in a good place to use Julius Randle and picks to make another big move, so that justifies them giving up two of their scoring options. Anunoby’s health is also a factor that’ll help determine how this trade ages.”

In acquiring Anunoby – an unrestricted free agent after the season when he officially declines his $19.93 million player option – the Knicks obtain his Bird Rights to go over the cap and re-sign him this summer and a player who should mesh well with coach Tom Thibodeau’s defensive philosophy. Anunoby has averaged 1.7 steals per game over the past two years, the third most in the NBA in that span.

“New York got the big wing defender they were searching for, and I also think this means they’re not done yet,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype. “They have to add another creator or scoring type of player, or they’re going to run Brunson into the ground.”

“It’ll be interesting to see how long it’ll be before the Knicks make another move,” another NBA executive told HoopsHype. “There’s not a lot of shot creation for other players on the roster now, and there’s a lot of pressure on Brunson. I get why New York made the trade. The team was playing selfishly. Anunoby is a better fit with what they have than Barrett.”

The Knicks will continue to be active on the trade market, league sources told HoopsHype. As previously reported by HoopsHype, the Knicks have been targeting Anunoby and Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. While losing Quickley seemingly hurts a potential trade package for Murray on paper, Murray remains a player the Knicks are interested in acquiring, league sources said.

New York didn’t give up a future first-round pick in the Anunoby trade and still has up to eight tradeable first-round picks, including four of their own and four from other teams, to dangle in trade talks before February’s trade deadline. New York also has the expiring contract of Evan Fournier, which the Knicks will continue to dangle in trade talks.

New York has also been searching for a consistent frontcourt rotation player given the loss of starting center Mitchell Robinson and found that in Achiuwa, a strong rebounder who averages 11.2 boards per 36 minutes. The 24-year-old big man will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.

Flynn, 25, will alleviate some ball-handling pressure on Brunson as a backup point guard option and has shot 35.2 percent from three-point range dating back to last season.

By moving both Barrett and Quickley, New York consolidated its glut of guards, leaving more minutes and shots for Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, and Quentin Grimes in the rotation to boost their productivity. It’s worth noting Grimes has received continued trade interest from rival teams around the league, sources told HoopsHype.

Lastly, the Knicks are now $5.1 million below the tax and generate a $5.2 million trade exception.